So c'mon over to where the new bsquared blog is at:
www.bsquaredphotography.net or www.bethbeyrerphotography.com
See you there!! It's gonna be fun over there, so hurry on over. There's a slide show on the header and everything!
Sorry about the lack of posting (well, interesting new posting) over the last two days. I am working on a brand new blog for bsquared photography. Actually, a really nice guy that I know from highschool who I reconnected with on Facebook who is a computer genius and a really nice guy (did Imention that he's really nice?) is doing all the work on the new blog. Although good in photoshop, computers are not my strong point so I figured that Matt (you know, the really nice guy) could make the new blog REALLY great. It's going to be much easier to navigate with bigger & better quality images and some nice new features. I can't wait!
For those of you who know me well, you know that my feeling on change is not one of love and light. Usually when asked, my reply is "Change is bad. We fear change." But in this case it was pretty necessary as I feel like I'm outgrowing the current blog and template. I will leave a link on here that will direct everyone to the new blog. And this blog will stay up for a year or so. So once the new one is up and operational, don't forget to change your bookmarks/favorites to the new address.
So stay tuned for more pictures on a brand spankin new blog soon. I don't know exactly when yet, but I will keep you posted.
I mentioned a little while ago that I had volunteered to do the headshots for the RVC Education Foundation's fundraiser: Dancing with the Teachers. I just finished up the headshots for the dancing teachers (they are each paired with a professional dance instructor and they each do a different dance- just like Dancing with the Stars). It should be a fun night by the looks of things!
Bought some seamless paper in grey and two new shirts for Timmy. Therefore, a shoot was in order. He was a great sport and with a promise of chocolate afterwards, even wore the glasses for me!
The shirt is from www.ellabeebaby.com. They have some great stuff.
Timmy really is a super*. Seriously, the boy is awesome! His birthday is in 5 days. Can't believe the baby is going to be 4! Not so baby.
This adorable little man was my first casting call taker, from Facebook. His mom and I went thru school together and haven't seen eachother in about 20 years! But we did have a great little reunion and got some shots of her very adorable and loved son.
Meet Jack, 4 months old and LOVED!
Hi everyone. Listen, all you secret blog stalkers, I need your help. Can you please take a look at the pictures in the last few posts? They are the same pictures you've already seen, but I feel like the quality of the photos has suddenly changed. They are looking very pixelated to me, but it could just be my new huge monitor.
So, if you would be so kind to take a look and let me know what you think. Do the photos look different to you than how they normally look? Do you see any difference at all? Please leave me a comment below or email me at bbeyrer1@optonline.net, I would really appreciate your input.
More pictures coming soon (pixely or not). In the meantime, I'll leave you with an old one from the christmas card shoot:
My computer is home- Yippeeeee! I am back to the land of the living.
And it has a brand new HUGE monitor. It's pretty and so nice to edit on so far. Here it is with the old monitor, so you get an idea of scale. Things are a little messy in the picture, so just look at the labeled stuff, okay?
Timmy fell asleep yesterday on the way home from PT and OT and was just so cute I had to snap a few. Love that little pink mouth.
Had a playdate on Tuesday with Timmy's girl (or that would be glirl in Timmy-speak) and her brother. They had a great time as always. Did a little coloring and a little running around and screaming.
I decided like 10 minutes before the end of the playdate that I had to put Mr. G on the scale, nakey. It was a GREAT decision! He's such a cutie pie and while he christened my new prop, he didn't "christen" it in the nakey boy sense. Good job!
First, a little business. They are coming tonight to take the computer (it's telling that my palms are actually sweating) for a cleaning and upgrade. So I will be without photoediting access for a few days. I will still be checking my emails (and facebook) if you need to reach me. If you are waiting for pictures or edits or other photo related projects, I will get your requests done as soon as I can once the computer comes back which had better be soon!!
On Sunday, we decided at the last minute to take a drive out east (Outlets in Riverhead and Coronet in Greenport). The big boys were in dire need of new sneakers and after driving all over Nassau county on Saturday with no luck, we figured we could try the outlets instead. So, to make a day of it we went to our favorite luncheonette in Greenport. The Coronet- home of the BEST chocolate milkshakes. Ever.
Happiness at the wheel.
You can see how happy Patrick is getting his picture taken, right?
A stop at the 'pie farm' for supplies.
No trip to Greenport would be complete without a trip to the "duck store" with some purchases of course.
The best part (well, besides the milkshakes)? I found the baby scale I've been looking for over the last 9months or so. Wait til you see the first pictures with it! So worth every penny of the $39.
Tried to get the ingrates to stop along the road and take some pictures, but they wouldn't do it. And we did find some sneakers. Mission complete.
Yes, you read that right. 60TH wedding anniversary! Such a huge deal so of course there was a great big party to celebrate the happy couple.
It was a surprise, and was it ever! They definitely had no idea- they thought they were coming to the country club for brunch with another couple who are also members. As they walked into the room I heard them say "I think we're in the wrong place". Nope- the totally right place with all their friends and family and tons of love and congratulations!
Way too many good looking people! (and a special thanks to Paul for helping coordinate this shot with EVERYONE!)
And a lovely (and delicious I am told) cake.
Congrats again O and V. I had a wonderful time capturing your special day. All of the pictures are in an album to your left. Enjoy and here's to another 60 years!
In conjuction with Lauren & Denise's clothing line, www.bcauseisaidso.com, bsquared photography is hosting a casting call. We're looking for baby girls or baby boys who fit into 3-6 month clothing size.
Here are the details:
We need three baby girls or baby boys (preferably 2 girls and 1 boy) who currently wear a 3-6 month clothing size for a very mini-photoshoot wearing one of the new lines from bcause i said so. The shoot will be at Beth's home and will run about 20 minutes. Time permitting, I will be happy to take a few shots of your little one for you as well. For a $75 fee, you would receive up to 10 4x6 printed proofs, those photos on a disc, and you can take the shirt from the shoot home. (This shoot has a comparable value to a mini-session of $175 and is normally only offered Sept-December). The pictures may be used on the bcauseisaidso website and in any advertising they may do in any medium, but there is no guarantee that the photos will be used. We are looking to do these shoots as soon as possible.
If you are interested, please contact me at bbeyrer1@optonline.net. Please pass the word on to your friends as well.
Warning: tons of pictures. You can see the rest (yes, there are lots more) in the album on the left.
I'm certain that you will remember this sassy/beautiful redhead from a holiday shoot (and maybe even from her grandfather's 80th bday party which I also shot). Well, her mom was throwing around some birthday party ideas and a photoshoot party actually won out! So I was at the party snapping away the most FUN pictures for the afternoon.
All the girls brought and borrowed and swapped crazy outfits and then did their best 'america's next top model' THANG for my camera. And it's seriously a miracle that any of the photos are in focus cause I was laughing so hard for the whole thing. They came up with the best poses (all by themselves) and funniest outfits.
Let me just say this was a GREAT party idea. And the kids get the pictures of all their friends together having fun.
Work it, girls!
Even mom and her friend got in on the action! How can you not love fun parents like these?!
First, the computer news. If you are a bsquared client, this may apply to you.
I am NOT getting the imac- way too many issues in converting. I am, however, getting a spruce up on my current PC- additional memory, a good cleaning, and a nice new big fat 24" screen! This means that the computer (and all photo related applications) will be out of commission from this Friday 1/23 until the middle of the following week. So if you are waiting to see your photos, need to do any editing, ordering, etc. I will only be able to do that for you after 1/29. If I already received your requests, I will do my best to get that out to you before Friday. I think it'll be great with the updates (for all of us) and I can't wait to edit on that HUGE screen!
**I will be checking email during the computer overhaul, so feel free to email me and I will get back to you asap.
Hakka (aka Grandpa Ken) took us all to an Islanders game on Monday and we had a great time. I always forget how much I really enjoy watching hockey (only live though- on TV is too boring) and how fun the games are. Even though I don't go very much (we used to have season tickets when I was a kid and I was a huge Nystrom fan. The good old days with no helmets and winning Islanders!) I would be so sad if they moved away as the rumor goes. Going to try to get to one more game this season. At least.
Disclaimer: these were all taken with the point n shoot. Can't bring the big guns to the game.
It was Timmy's first game. He really liked it. Tired himself out bopping up and down on the seats for 25 minutes and fell asleep for the last period of the game and all the way home too.
Jack and Patrick enjoyed the pretzels and the game too. And John said he is just happy he's not more than a casual fan cause he can't stand them sucking.
Thanks for a great time Hakka!!
Some new self portraits (it was a good hair day and I was tan).
And some randomness:
Cannot believe I will be turning 40 in 8 months. Lots of my friends have recently and will be celebrating this milestone as well. Dancing around the kitchen last night while getting the dishes out I can honestly say I don't feel like I'm going to be 40. Still 25 at heart! So I guess that's a good thing. Now, if Billy can just arrange my "edward norton present" in time for September...
It's been doctors appointments like crazy this month. I haven't been very good about taking care of myself lately, so trying to change that. Had a physical (the first one in many years) and all the results came back surprisingly good. Blood pressure, EKG, blood results, cholesterol, liver, kidney- all good. Now if I could just lose about 50 pounds... Off to the dentist later this week and still have to make an eye dr. appt. Between me and the boys, I think I've layed out over $100 in copays since January 7th.
Tommorrow promises to be a good day. Going to the Apple store in the morning to look into switching to an iMac. Yes, it's true. Jen and Sharon placed those seeds and you know how once something is in my head, I have to ride the full wave of obsession until I either get it or exhaust it. Oh, but that 24" screen...yum! I would love to edit off that! The only concern is switching everything over from Windows to Mac. It's a lot of stuff. A real lot. Also have a playdate scheduled at one of our original playgroup friends tommorrow who we haven't seen in forever-it'll be 6 boys all together. Should be fun and LOUD. And then the premiere of LOST. Yeah!!!!! Can't wait.
I have a whole new list of things that I want to get this year...the imac, a new Canon 5D Mark II (20something megapixel w video capabilities and a 3" viewscreen- drool), a 70-200 2.8L lens (perfect for weddings and sports- see, already justified!), speakers for the ipod that I stole from John last year, a pretty ring I think I might just buy myself for turning 40 and having good dr. test results, and think I'll plan a nice big fat 40th birthday party=all for a mere zillion $s. Someone has to help the economy, right?
My newest favorite song...Use Somebody by Kings of Leon. Brian and Pat played it on Sat night and I can't stop listening to it since. You should check it out.
And last, a little bit of Beth trivia...did you know that my eyes changed color when I was pregnant and never changed back? They used to be hazel but mostly brown, and now they are green. And no, they are not colored contacts. Crazy, huh?
I am doing some volunteer photography work for the RVC Education Foundation's annual fundraiser/dinner. It's a good cause...and one that is obviously something I'm interested in supporting!
This year's dinner theme is Dancing with the Teachers and I am doing all the headshots for the 'dancing teachers'. So far I have only done the shots for the two Honorees of the night, the teachers are coming up in about two weeks. Here's a few of the honorees for the evening:
New York is not pretty in the winter (for the most part). It's just brown and grey. That's it. Brown. And. Grey. So where is the color? Well, it's in Florida of course. A little technicolor to brighten another snowy, brown and grey day.
Some beach shots:
Even the smartcars are colorful:
Some sunset shots from the plane. Ok, the pictures out the window might be the ONLY good part of flying.
Some from the Orange Bowl: (yes, it was cold again this year, but not so much as last year. Or more importantly, not so much as here). We had a great time even though the flyover was LAME. It's my favorite part. Doobie Brothers at halftime. All pix with point n shoot.
Lens envy:
Things have been so busy...which is great. Surprised I have as many shoots as I do being the very quiet season. A few fun parties to post soon, so be on the lookout for those.
Went out with Beth W last night to treat her to some sushi for taking care of the house and fish while we were away. Went to see The Turn at Gabrielle's. A few point n shoot snaps:
Hope you all had a nice weekend.
My first shoot for 2009- and a GREAT way to start off bsquared for the new year. A very lovely and photogenic family who found me thru some holiday cards they received with my blog on the back. We lucked out and were able to schedule a shoot while all 3 kids were home from college on winter break. They are just a great, warm, happy family who seemed genuinely happy to be together (and at the same time, everyone was excited to go back to school!) Even the dog was smiley.
Everyone was troopers and we went outside in the cold and snow for a few shots as well. The dog was a very excited participant as well!
And yet another small world story...when I went up to the high school today to take some photos of the prinicpal (I've volunteered to take pictures for the Education Foundation fundraiser "dancing with the teachers" and took photos of the two honorees today- more on that later) I looked up in the office and saw the mom's name on a desk plaque. She works there. The world keeps getting smaller and smaller...
I'm sure you will remember this unforgettable beautiful little (burberry) girl from her birthday party last year and from a fall shoot in Central Park. I was asked to take photos at her birthday party again this year which I was more than happy to do. Her whole family is just as nice as can be!
This year's party was at the Reebok Sports Club in Manhattan, with a little extra singing/guitar entertainment to round it all out. Looked like all the kids had a great time! And the parents too.
How gorgeous was the cake?? Love the design going all the way around.
Happy Birthday, Miss K!!
Jack and Patrick got their very own ipods from Grandma and Hakka this Christmas. They were beyond excited. With Elizabeth's help on Saturday we got them all set up and they have been so excited to listen to them. The boys also got some itunes giftcards from Santa, so they were all ready to start downloading some music.
The best part? (well, other than their names on the back) Is when they put the earbuds in....it's SILENCE in the house. That never happens during waking hours. Ever.
And no, I didn't coordinate their clothing with their ipods. That was already what they were wearing (their favorite colors). I just put them in front of the right color wall...
I made about a zillion Christmas Cards this year. Here they are for your viewing pleasure...
The flat "postcards"
And the folding cards. Some trifolds as well.
The packaging:
My card: (which was an accordian card so it's really hard to show flat)
More Florida pictures tommorrow I think.
Shot this christening in the middle of busy season and the mom was so nice in letting me take my time getting the photos edited. So without further ado, here are the byrn girls all the way from Chicago on their very special day.
They are so beautiful (with eyelashes to match) and were just as sweet as could be. Didn't hear them cry once. Their gowns were handmade in Ireland and were fantastic. Parents, Godparents, Grandparents and all their family and friends were on hand to help celebrae this very special occassion.
So, you'll either appreciate a few pictures of something sunny and nice, or you'll be cursing me across cyberspace.
Here's some more from our florida vacation. All taken at my parent's place pool. Beach shots coming tommorrow so don't log on if that's going to piss you off further.
By the way, I read 9 books on my Kindle while on vacation (one of the 9- The Gold Coast- I started before I left, so it was really like 8.5 books). So far, I've polished off: The Gold Coast, The GateHouse (both Nelson DeMille), Private (a teenangst boarding school book, but it was good and free), To The Scaffold:The Life of Marie Antoinette (she really had a very interesting and sad life, that was my second biography on her), Just Before Sunset (compilation of short stories by Stephen King), Against Medical Advice, Cross Country (both by James Patterson), Bones (Jonathan Kellerman), Your Heart Belongs to Me (Dean Koontz), and I just finished Memoirs of a Geisha which I had read a looooong time ago and wanted to read again. So 10 books down since getting the Kindle on 12/22. I love to read. Just glad I have time to do it again!
John is home (thank god) and I think I will get a small break tommorrow so I can start cleaning out and dismantling the scrapbook room. That era is officially over. Anyone out there want scrapbook supplies??
The moon was more over Davie than Miami, but that's okay.
I didn't take the camera out of the bag for the first full week of our trip. I was more than slightly burnt.
On New Years Eve the moon was just to awesome to pass up a shot (or several) of. My mom got out the telescope (you know, the one she uses to spy on her neighbors) and I took a super cool shot of the moon thru the telescope. Looks like a smiley face.
A few fireworks along the ocean.
City lights. Really- a seriously NICE view from the 20th floor. That's A1A on the left, and the ocean on the far left, with the intracostal on the right.
And Timmy has been diagnosed with a double ear infection in the SAME EAR! Impossible you say? It's not...he has swimmers ear which is an infection of the ear canal AND he also has an inner ear infection. The poor kid is on ear drops antibiotic and oral antibiotic too.
Oh, and John? Yeah, he's in Florida again. Flew out Wednesday morning with his friends to go see the BCS Championship. So while he's sunning and laughing it up...I'm home with a fading tan which is being sucked out of my skin from freezing temperatures and a sick kid who hasn't slept for 4 nights. So far. Poor boy is miserable and in so much pain. I'm exhausted and way grumpy. Ain't life grand?!
And none too happy about it either. Pictures to follow soon. Gotta unpack a little, get tommorrows stuff set up and get to bed. I'm exhausted. And to think, I was in the pool and sun not 10 hours ago...
The flight back was crazy turbulent (you know how I just LOVE that), it's freakin cold here, and I had to scrape the ice off the windshield of the car before going out to get milk. Oh, and Timmy's running a lowgrade fever and screaming about his ear hurting. So either the 'meumonia' is back and/or there is an ear infection happening. Or maybe even something else. Going to the doctor tommorrow.
Tell me, why did I come home??
off in a few minutes to the Orange Bowl (to watch two teams that I have absolutely no interest in, but that's the way it goes. Maybe the Miami Hurricanes will make it back there someday). It's supposed to be pretty cold here tonight -it always is on the Orange Bowl night somehow. I'm all sweatered and Ugg'd up and ready to freeze. But it's still better than home...
The big boys hit the racetrack today with grandma and grandpa and won a few bucks each (between that and the scratch-off lottery tickets grandpa keeps buying them, they are coming home with more loot than they started with. That plus vacation is not a bad deal.) John and I took Timmy to the Aventura Mall. It's really nice there and Timmy got to ride the "christmas train".
I was the only one who stayed up til midnight last night other than my parents. It was cool watching all the fireworks off the balcony. The moon was crazy cool last night and I got the greatest shots off the balcony and thru the telescope. Can't wait to show you when I get home.
And yes, that means that the camera finally made it out of the bag. For a little while anyway.
Happy and healthy 2009!!
Is anyone still out there and reading?
Just stopped in to say hi and let you know that I'm still alive. I am thoroughly enjoying my much needed vacation in South Florida. Not been doing much other than sitting in the sun, going in the pool, eating and sleeping. A lot of sleeping especially- I've been getting about 10-11 hrs a night. I guess I have a lot of making up to do seeing that I was getting an average of about 5.5hrs a night for the last 4 months!
Sorry in advance, but the weather has been perfect. Around 80 and sunny everyday so far, with the heated pool at about 85 degrees. The boys have been having a blast- in the pool all day every day. We even went to the beach across the street today for a bit. Timmy seems all better (but really, who knows if he is. I didn't know he had 'meumonya' when he did, so it's really a mystery). He's been having a great time in the big pool this year, swimming around like crazy. He falls alseep in the car on the way to dinner every single night. Tonight we had dinner with Kevin Harms and Candace at the infamous all you can eat sushi restaurant we love. Seafood handrolls.....yum! I will SO be going back to Weight Watchers when I get home. If I come home. It's just way too nice here.
I've now finished 5 books so far on the Kindle (yeah, love that thing!!!). The Gold Coast, The GateHouse (both Nelson DeMille), Private, Cross Country (James Patterson), and Your Heart Belongs to Me (Dean Koontz). Now reading Just Before Sunset (Stephen King) and hope to have that done by tommorrow night.
We have the Orange Bowl on Thursday night, going to visit Kevin and family in Boca on Saturday, trying to hit Gulfstream for some horse races sometime after 1/3/09 when it opens, and lots more lying in the sun/swimming in the pool/eating/sleeping. But that's it on the big plans.
Hope everyone is well and enjoying their Christmas/Hanukah gifts! Sorry no pictures to post. There are two reasons for that:
1. I have no way to download the pictures from the camera to this computer and no editing software either. And...
2. I haven't taken the camera out of the bag. Not even once.
But I will before we leave. You'll just have to wait to see the pictures of paradise until I get home. I'm sure that's upsetting.
Some scenes from Christmas. Got some new picture ornaments made which were so cute. Had to get extras cause the boys wanted some for their trees too. I didn't take any pictures of them opening gifts...trying to be in the moment. They all cleaned up like crazy.
Jack & Patrick: Wii music, Wii My Sims Kingdom, Wii backyard football, Nintendo DS backyard football, Nintendo DS Star Wars Clone Wars, Nintendo carry cases, football jerseys, football hats, Target gcs, GameStop gcs, tons of books, Mets Kids Club stuff, shirts, a football, some itunes gcs (and more to come from Santa in Florida tonight & for the remaining nights of Hanukah...)
Timmy: Imaginext Batcave with every single extra figure made, Batship, a space shuttle with accessories, Star Wars shirts, some books, a super cool Marble structure (thanks aunt gail and uncle joe even if it took me all night to get it together!!) (and still more to come in Florida...)
John: a new jacket, an electric razor, some pictures, a book, some Tums (in his stocking), a macy's gc (thanks Katie)and everything else that he asked for he has since gone and purchased himself. Which drives me crazy just like every other christmas.
Beth: a kindle (ok, the best present EVER. It's like an ipod for books. You download whatever book you want from Amazon and read them on this thing. And its not backlit like a computer screen- it's electronic ink so theres no eye strain. There are like 100,000 books to choose from and you can download them via 'whispernet' which works like a cell phone/blackberry from the amazon store to the kindle in like 30 seconds. I already downloaded 5 books so I'm all set for Florida. I pinked it all up so no boys in this house would get any ideas and try to steal it!! You know they wouldn't want to be caught reading a PINK kindle!), some slippers, a frame, some chocolate, a gc to victoria secret, a gc to the Garden City Hotel for a massage, itunes gc, a wallet (thanks Katie!)
Family presents: Wii Fit, a DisneyWorld Magic Kingdom Board game (I can't wait to play that!!), KungFu Panda, the Furious 5, Wall-e, and Veggie Tales the Pirates who don't do anything DVD's. And about 100 different kinds of chocolate. Plus yummy cheddar cheese english muffins (thanks hakka).
If I forgot anything, I apologize. I think some stuff is still on its way too.
We are leaving shortly for the airport. I'm (of course) freaking out about the flying. (Well, not the flying so much as the crashing). But I can't wait to get to Florida!!! I might try to blog once or twice from down there. And I will post all the cards when I get back.
Hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and get to spend it with everyone you love!
you know that whole saying about god laughing when you make plans? here's a prime example. Timmy has pneumonia. Crazy. Took him into the dr. yesterday for a goopy eye (since we are leaving for Florida tmrw for 11 days). The dr. took one look at him and said he has pinkeye (fabulous) and then after telling him the 'story' from the last two weeks {in a nutshell: 2wknds ago, asthmatic cough which resolved after 1.5 days on the nebulizer. then a week of fine. then a fever this past weekend which was fine by monday. a little cold w a tiny cough} he listened to him breathe and announced that he has pneumonia. That statement was answered with a "SHUT UP- he dosen't have pneumonia" from me. But I was assured that he did. After bloodwork (he was so brave and didn't cry) and chest xrays, it's for sure...he has walking pneumonia. So he is now on zithromax for that and eyedrops 3x a day for the conjunctivitis. It's a real picnic here. But, I am telling you you would NEVER even know that he was that sick. He looks a little pale and pasty and has a little cold with the smallest cough that is so intermittent and normal sounding for a cold. Craziness I tell you. But, we are still allowed to go to florida and he even has clearance to go in the pool by the end of the weekend. So my mommy worry level is pretty high (even though he seems fine) and now of course I'm worried that someone else in our family is going to get the pinkeye or pneumonia or both. At least I know where the good childrens hospital in ft. lauderdale is but I am hoping I don't have to visit again this year...
I've had this list going for over 6 months and haven't had a second to post it. So here are some of my favorite Timmy sayings lately.
I have mewmonia (pneumonia). how's that called? that's not my choice!!!! that's my favorite phone #! "crunchy" club which brudder? don't murph the cup i can't do it by my own theirchother here goes nothin not for long what he doos? oh fine fine fine good for you mommy! mmmmmmmmmmmilk oy oy oy evalator oh,man! johnnyhealy oh,pick me, pick me!!! i go too? buy whyyyyyyyyyyy? betty poop (betty boop) cppo (c3po) it's my collection (talking about his reflection) pirates of the carribeada i beautiful can't timmy-sized i have a headache of that i be 3 (he didn't want to be 4 for a long while there) i'm happy at you! it's a dangerous idea a-noying "and that's about it" chris-a-mis he now puts his own kisses on his hand and puts it on his boo-boo's if I'm not around to do it and my favorite recent conversation:
m: you have droopy drawers again" (his pants are always falling down)
t: yup!
m: i think santa needs to bring you a tushy for christmas.
t: nah. just new pants.
And here are some recent pictures in one of his new favorite shirts.
All in the numbers for 2008...
189 shoots in total (wow! I really need this vacation!). That's up from 78 in 2007. Quite a difference, no? 9 of which were product, 14 shoots for the band, 3 christenings, 13 communions, 8 parties of different varieties, and 6 weddings. And the rest all family & child portrait work. Whew. I'm getting tired again...
Thank you so much to all of my wonderful clients both returning and new. I am happy to say that not only do I have a fast growing business that I adore (which I'm still just winging...still no advertising really so thank you also for any referrals you made) but I have made some great new friends as well. I am hoping to see all of you again in 2009 (already booking Jan-March for shoots and any dates for parties). I am looking forward to a little break over the holidays and then jumping right back in full force in January.
Still a few more posts to come before I leave for Florida, so stay tuned over the next few days.
And a post is no good without any pictures, so... here are a few of the boys from about 2 weeks ago before it got freezing and snowy.
and then i am SO outta here to florida! Well, if the airport isn't closed due to snow (which we have had FAR too much of already) or if the plane dosen't go down in a firey crash (I have a small fear of flying. well, not flying so much as crashing!) I will be spending 11 sunny relaxing computer free days in south Florida. Can. not. wait.
Anyway, I still have so much of my stuff to blog before I leave, so here is some for today...
We went to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular last week. Pulled the boys out of school an hour early and took the train into the city. Took the subway up to 50th, visited the tree (where John was nice enough to take some pictures with me actually in them) and the big ornaments and then saw the show. It was my first time ever seeing it (the boys too. John had seen it a looooong time ago when he was a kid) which is so sad considering we live 30 min from Manhattan. It was a lot of fun (especially since the tickets were buy one, get one!). Then we hit our usual destination of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co for dinner where there was no wait. The boys were exhausted as we didn't get in til after 10pm. We were all an hour late for school the next day cause I let them sleep a little extra. The funniest thing was watching Jack RUN past Timmy's room in a panic yelling "mom!!!! it's 9am!! we have school TOOODAAAAAAY!!!"
The boys had their winter concert this week at school. They did a great job and we had a lot of fun watching them. The kazzoo section of the song was so cute.
I slept from 9:30pm on Friday night until 12pm on Saturday afternoon. 15 hours of sleep and I'm still exhausted.
Some more recent "shoots"- for some of my favorite business clients/friends.
My friends Denise and Lauren run their own kids clothing company, which you can visit at www.bcauseisaidso.com. They have great and adorable stuff. Here's their newest addition...loved.
And I made some fun business cards for "my" band, The Turn. After we discussed the fact that they had pictures on their site that I did not take and they told me that the woman who took them "meant nothing to us" and that they "were thinking about me the whole time" we made up and I made them some cool cards.
A friend asked if I'm a groupie. And I decided that since I'm a paid photographer for the band (gotta get that exclusive contract worked out before they hit it big!) that I technically cannot be a groupie. I just watch them play when I'm not working for them for work purposes...ya know, to see the best angles, where in the song the best picture would be...RESEARCH! Yeah, that's it. Research!! They are awesome and I'm glad we are friends!
Not a whole one where they were off from school or anything. But an unexpected snow day. They said just rain or freezing rain (which is what it started out as) but it quickly turned to big fat fluffy snowflakes that stuck. We ran home from school, located all the boots, hats and gloves (which was no small feat since most of that stuff was still in storage in the basement), geared up and went out.
I need to mention that the coats the boys are wearing are now fondly referred to as the "donut coat" as Jack said he hates it cause it's puffy and makes him feel like a giant donut. Gotta love that kid!
Uncle Nelson had the day off today so he stopped by and was quickly ambushed and brought right into the snowball fight fray. Timmy nailed him pretty good, as did the boys. I had the good "you can't throw snowballs at me cause I have the reeeeeeealy expensive camera" defense. However, Timmy caught me right in the chest with snow dripping down the inside of my shirt at school pickup. I had no camera then and no excuse. Sneak!!
After being outside for a while (why is it that it always takes longer to get dressed and undressed in all that snow crap than it does to actually play outside??) we came in and Uncle Nelson made us all some DEEEELICIOUS hot chocolate. He beat mine terribly-- but being a chef and all, his should be better. Yum.
I'm happy to announce my bsquared photography pricing and packages for 2009. I am also opening the calendar for shoots from January-March. If you have a communion or other party coming up that you'd like to book now (that is not between Jan-Mar), please contact me at bbeyrer1@optonline.net and we can get you on the calendar to save your date.
All the below information will also be listed on the left side of the blog under pages "pricing & packages 2009" permanently.
Looking forward to another great year with all of my fabulous clients, and hoping to add some new clients this year too!
The packages available:
And the policies. The major change is that I will be requiring a $100 non-refundable deposit ($175 for parties, $75 for mini sessions) in order to confirm your date/time. While the deposit is not refundable, it is 100% transferable to another shoot date/time for your family. The other change is the fee for the additional rounds of edits after the first included round.
Hope to hear from you soon!
I know you are singing the song in your head now too. Sorry!
I can finally post a few pictures from us. Like I said, I know you are going to be so sick of seeing us now that 'shoot season' is wrapping up. I'll still have some client images thrown in here and there, but it'll mostly be us for a little while.
I had a shoot in NYC a few weekends ago for a 2 year old birthday party, and walked my way down from 68th and Columbus toward the tree at 50th and 5th. I thought since I was alone it would be a perfect time to take some pictures of city christmas stuff without the boys getting bored/annoyed. When I reached Radio City, it was a WALL of people. That kinda thing generally dosen't bother me but when it got to the point that I couldn't even walk with my bag on my hip (I had to hold it in front of me in order to squeeze by in the crowd) that was IT! So I didn't make it to the tree, grabbed the first cab I could find (yeah, that took a while too) and jetted back to Penn for the train ride home.
A few of the shots... (from top: giant christmas ornaments from 50th and 6th, Columbus from Columbus Circle, Radio City, lights from shops at Columbus Circle, Liza from Times Square (taken from inside taxi), and Lincoln Center (under construction but still pretty windows))
I just have to mention that this weekend was the first weekend since August that I haven't worked! (except for Columbus Day weekend in October when we went out east). I don't think I have EVER worked this hard in all my life. But I am truly loving every minute. Even the minutes at 3am! John was good to me and let me sleep both Saturday and Sunday mornings- till 11:30am Saturday and 12pm Sunday. Think I needed it. But I'm still so tired!!
Since I'm not ending with my last shoot (the one I posted a few days ago- the gupt family), it's just as fitting to end 2008's shoots with this family as these beautiful girls were my last shoot in 2007. So full circle.
And there will still be plenty of pictures up on the blog until Christmas. I have so much of my own stuff to post (oh, you are going to be so sick of my boys!) and I still have a Christening and a 2nd birthday party to edit which may or may not be posted prior to Christmas. The parents of the children in those shoots were very good to me and said that I could wait to edit and post until after the holidays. We'll see what happens. I still haven't done any christmas shopping so I am planning on spending some time doing that.
Back to the zawa girls...is it even possible that they became MORE gorgeous since last year? They are both still swimming competitively and doing really well. Love that long hair and sparkly eyes. Even though it was so cold out we did jump outside for a few- so worth it to get some pretty light. Mom (another gorgeous one, but I couldn't convince her to get in any pictures this year) said that we are doing a shoot earlier next year and at the beach. I'm looking forward to it already...
Went to Brooklyn on a freezing, dreary day to photograph this family. Little Miss A has her whole family (grandparents included) wrapped around her little finger and it's so easy to see why. She is delish and adorable and squeezable. I got a hug and kiss (unsolicited I might add) within the first 10 minutes of being there and another big one on the way out. Miss A wasn't much for doing anything that wasn't her idea, so we had to work fast and around wherever she was or what she was doing. Managed to get some sweet ones- really, how could you not? She was so smart, naming colors (love that orange is really called "pumpkin") and even started calling me by name. A-dorable!!
In all honesty, I have to admit that I REALLY wanted to save this family to blog as my last shoot of 2008. Especially since they WERE my last family for 08. And because they have such a special story with a little 'christmas miracle' type ending. But mom is freaking out that she won't have enough time for getting her cards out, I had to jump ahead and post them tonight. See, C...anything for you!
I have a real big spot in my heart for this family. I met mom when she took my scrapbook class way back when and got to photograph this incredibly blessed and happy family when the baby was first born and then again at her christening. They have the best story. In short, they had a surrogate carrier "cook up" their little one, so this baby is an extra special miracle! (*waving: hi to you firedept mom). There is no limit to how much she was wanted.
So here she is in all her christmas finery along with mom & dad who love her to bits. And grandma & grandpa even took the day off work to be at the photoshoot as well. Can't you just tell how much she's loved? Nevermind the fact that she's gorgeous. Love those huge eyes!
A little shout-out to my blog-stalkers Heather and Sara! Hi girls! So great to see you today, but unfortunately under not so nice circumstances. How about this Saturday night at 10pm @ Gabrielle's in RVC to hear "my" band and have a few drinks. As if I didn't get into enough trouble there this weekend!
And if you could all spare a little love and good thoughts or prayers for my friend Julianne. She just lost her dad this week. She's a fantastic person and although we are 'new friends' I really just love her. You can see how much she loved her dad and he seemed like a great guy from what she told me about him today. So please send a little love her way- she could really use it.
Some photos from my last weekend of shooting in 2008. Almost there...
First, the obri kids. A dreary morning outside but lots of fun and sun inside. A-dorable!! kids. The older girl was all into the shoot (for the most part and for a while) while the poor little boy had a cold and was not particularly happy about the whole thing. We got a few before he melted down to the point of no return. And then they were both DONE and the shoot was over. Hope you like the pictures, mom. I think we definitely got some keepers for the card!
Next, the conn family. You might recognize them from the wedding back in September as the dad is the bride's sister. Mom was way pregnant at the wedding, and they now have a happy new addition to their beautiful family. The big kids were so great with the baby and held him so well for the pictures. Of course, I had my usual crazy ideas- but mom & dad even got in on the act, asking to use the elephant table/bench which was a family heirloom. Love that! The kids were great and we all (i think) had a great time.
And I love my natural light...oh, how I've missed that. It's just so pretty!!
*[disclaimer]: all photos following below were taken with the point n shoot, usually with me holding out the camera in front of me. i was having a photo-free night, but i couldn't give it up completely. and i wasn't dragging out the big guns for the bar.
A girl's gotta have a break every now and then. So we went out last night to see Brian (and Pat too who I thought wasn't going to be there- but that was a nice surpise) play at Gabrielle's in town. John and I went over with Sharon and then Mary Ellen and Kenny met us. We also ran into George & Tricia and Jim & Sue who were having dinner there.
There was quite a bit of drinking (even by me!) and a lot of good music (by brian and pat). Brian's family was there as well. It's so nice that they always come to see them play. We all had a great time and didn't leave til after 1am.
On the ride home John decided that it was time to blast N.W.A in the car (his taste in music is not really mine) and then proceeded to open the sunroof. There was about 2 inches of snow on the car and it all came falling in. Somehow a HUGE snowball fight insued INSIDE the car. Mare and Sharon got me so good (I was drenched and freezing with huge chunks of snow falling down the back and front of my shirt, in my eyes, all over my hair) but I got in a few good hits too! We were all laughing so hard we couldn't breathe. And everyone who started the night all pretty, was far from pretty after the vehicular snowball mele.
We dropped off Kenny and Mary Ellen who then proceeded to dance on their front porch to the N.W.A song BLASTING from the car. We really are grown ups!!! No, really!
My last rainy day shoot. Beautiful little blondies all in gold and glowy helped take some of the gloom away! And while the oldest one was such the ham, the twins really wanted pretty much nothing to do with me. One of them wouldn't let go of her mom or babysitter at all, which made it quite challenging to get a picture- especially with all the tears. I tried all my usual tricks but the twins were just not having it. Somehow we did get a few good ones of each of the girls (well, the oldest one was begging me to take more pictures of her!) on their own. They are so gorgeous and I hope I will get to photograph them again when we can go outside and I can just get them in playmode.
Almost there. Just have to keep repeating that. I have this last weekend of shoots coming up and then I am DONE for 2008. Well, after editing them and doing any last card orders of course. Almost there.
Tonight's posts are of two families I photographed last year and was asked to come back and photograph them again this year. Love my repeat clients! Another rainy disgusting cold day. I am NOT loving all this inside photography.
The mar kids (I guess I can still call them kids although they are significantly older than most of the "kids" I usually shoot) are just too easy. They stand where I ask, look when I say look, it's niiiice. The real challenge is getting true smiles out of them since singing wheels on the bus dosen't really fly here. Oh, and getting the dog in a shot is always a challenge as well.
The wlsh family has added a new addition since I saw them last fall- a new little boy! Their little girl is still as absolutely gorgeous and delish as always- I swear this one is like a living doll! And I even got an unsolicited hug on my way out! Even squeaked some smiles out of the baby. They are just a great family. Can't wait for next year's shoot!
I think I fixed the blog today so it should be running and loading much faster. Sorry for the previous slowness.
I have not even a minute to spare tonight for narrative, I apologize. I have built and ordered 9 seperate holiday cards today, edited two shoots, did follow up edits, and still have more editing to do. Not to mention decorated the outside of the house for christmas, and started inside as well. Busy, busy! And I haven't really started my xmas shopping. Can you say screwed?
My first time meeting and photographing the lovely dubl family. They were fantastic and even though it was pouring out and we couldn't go outside, the girls sat right by the front door for a few good natural light shots. How cute and fun are they?
My maybe 4th time photographing the boem family. Although the little one woke up and started the day in a bad mood (and we heard a lot of "NO"), I think we got some keepers anyway. We braved the drizzle for a few outside too. You know I have to have my outside pictures!
These two families are related (moms are sisters) so it works out to post them together. Grandma and Grandpa joined in for a few too.
We met over at the Garden City Hotel for a few shots while one of the sisters was in town for the holiday weekend. The setting was so pretty (love that hotel- great massages there by the way) and while the "portraityness" (ok, so its not really a word) is not my usual style, and we had to use a flash (again, not my prefered natural light) I think we still got a few great ones for the christmas cards. And even though it was chilly we jumped outside by the big tree for a couple of shots there too.
So it's come to this...blogging three shoots in one day! Normally, I wouldn't, but with the christmas rush for getting in photos and cards, I really am left with no other options but to jam everyone in as quickly as possible.
First, the feeh boys who happen to be my nephews. They were great and easy, especially when I said it was time for the jumping shots. The oldest really does NOT like having his picture taken, but I figured out some new tricks (which involved picking my nose and getting fistfuls of grass thrown at me...but hey, whatever it takes!) and we got some. Sorry, B- you smiled!!! The other two are pretty hammy and had a good time with the shoot. The middle one especially- the kid cannot take a bad picture!
Next, the ceci girl who is hands down the EASIEST photoshoot I think I have ever had (adults accepted). She sat where I asked her to, smiled fabulously and was just a cheery little thing. Mom didn't really want any christmasy type shots, so we just did a few around the house and called it a day.
Finally, the argo girls. LOVE, LOVE these girls! And although they opted out of the shoot this time, mom and dad are super too! I'm sure you will remember them from past shoots (there have been quite a few) here on the bsquared blog. As you can see, they just welcomed their newest girl to the group. Miss V is just 2 weeks old and already fits right in. She has some big, gorgeous shoes to fill with two big sisters who look like that, but I have no doubt she'll be just as beautiful! And to think, it was just one year ago that I did their holiday shoot when the now middle one was a newborn. Time flies...
Ok, really, really have to be brief with narrative tonight as I am backed up on edits like crazy.
The mcsh family and I have scheduled and rescheduled this shoot like 4 times due to travel issues, sickness, weather, you name it. We finally got it in and it was great. The little boy is super cute and walking so well. His nickname is 'old man' and it is so fitting. He has that old soul way about him. Hope you love the pictures now that we FINALLY got to take them!
The sewa baby was super cute and a teeny tiny little thing. Her big brother was off on a trip to Florida with his daddy, so it was just the girls. She was getting way ready for a nap toward the end so we had to work fast to get in the shots. Think we got some keepers.
A little recap of our day. Jeez, it's been so long since I posted personal stuff that I think I may have forgotten how! The picture above and the next one below I took with my new Lensbaby. Still working on getting the hang of it, but it has one sweet spot of focus and the rest is all blur.
Timmy and I watched the parade (aka hoorade) in the morning for a while, then the big boys helped me make brownies (the helping consists of them cracking the eggs into the mixer bowl and eating all the batter left on the spatula and in the bowl!).
Do you remember Graeme (our adorable soccer coach who was here for Thanksgiving in 2006 and stayed with us for 3 weeks in summer 2007)? Well, his parents happened to be in NYC this week and joined us for this years thanksgiving dinner! They are like our non-related English family. We had such a great time having them with us for the day and I really feel like I already knew them even though we had only spoken by phone once and via email lots of times. Now, if I can just save up enough for a trip over there...
I think they had a great time too (I hope so) and had nothing to say but "gorgeous" about everything- the food, the house, the boys! It was so great hearing that accent again and hearing some of my favorite expressions...half seven, cheers, brilliant, etc. We all even got to speak to Graeme on the phone! We miss him so much, but apparently there is hope that he is coming back in the summer for a visit or maybe even back to NY to live permenently! I sent his mom home with a ton of brownies for them all to share. They brought us some great gifts as well. A beautiful royal dalton crystal clock for us, new Liverpool soccer sweatshirts for the boys which they LOVE.
We went to dinner at John's parents with the usual crew in attendance (my parents, Joe & Gail, Uncle George and his sons Billy and Bobby, Aunt Anne, Uncle Jim, Dr. Meagher and Feather). My father in law did his usual speech/poem before dinner. Here's how it went (it's long but worth it!):
We gather again on Thanksgiving Day. We're happy you came and hope that you'll stay.
We have an assemblage of all stripes and shades that ranges from old folks to young dashing blades.
There's my brother George the wisest of guys, he's much more than welcome cause he brought the pies.
And our nephew Bobby and his brother Bill, Aspirant broadcasters with consummate skill.
And who is that angle no poet can scan, well I do believe its' my kid sister Anne.
And then there's son John who's had a long journey from Levittown rascal to top flight attorney.
And of course his bride Beth a permanent fixture, if you're nice to her she might take your picture
And my grandson Jack a spirit so free, watch out for this guy, he reminds me of me.
Of course there is Patrick as good as it gets, who always says Grandpa don't sing Meet the Mets.
And then there is Timmy whom we all admire. Well that's no surprise, his last name is Beyrer.
Now Marilyn's happy, her husband's a dream In spite of the fact that Ken is a dean.
When some states are blues and others ar reds, their state is bliss cause they're newlyweds.
And then there is Joseph, my younger son He bought Jack the Dog, we thought he was done.
Then Gail said "hey Joe, I've got something to say. there's a bundle of joy that's well on it's way.
This brought glee to Heather who went on a rant and said, I can't wait to be the kid's aunt!"
And elicited pleasure from good Dr. Rich who simply exclaimed "well, son of a _______"
There's someone else, who's free from all sin. He's well known in Cornwall as Mr. James Quinn
Now I've not forgotten the love of my life for two score and five she's been my loyal wife.
I love her dearly she's highly prized How she's hung on this long I'm sometimes surprised.
Now these days are filled with far reaching drama and as we reflect on this great panorama
We shout out "oh lord, oh man, or my mama" for that great son of Erin, Barack Obama.
Now some time ago, Graeme brought untold joys when he crossed the Pond to help coach the boys.
They were inspired, took kindly to him and we welcome his parents Diane and Jim.
This is a day that we all celebrate cause we live in a country so grand and so great
Freedom's a blessing there's no inbetween, God bless america...god save the queen!
Dinner was delish (or "gorgeous") and we all stuffed ourselves. I brought my brownies and paperbag cookies (Ivy, if you are reading this, I'll save you a few- don't worry!) for dessert. Billy got a hold of the cupcakes- poor thing didn't stand a chance! Also had to mention to be on the lookout for Billy- he'll be making it big soon. He just did an improv show with Robin Williams!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Two fabulous families who live in my parents building. This was the day of mis-scheduled shoots. Although everything was running on time, it just seemed like all the babies and toddlers I photographed either woke up too early, or didn't sleep well the night before...or something else that threw them off and it was (not regularly scheduled but needed nonetheless) naptime during the shoot. We muddled thru and still got some great shots of everyone.
This was my first time meeting the nitk family who are my parents next door neighbors in the building and they were just lovely. Their little girl is such a peanut and so cute. She got tired and done with me pretty quickly, but we still squeaked out a few great smiles. She did a great job trying to sit up alone- she was able to hold it long enough for some smiles and a few shots before toppling over.
The dizd family are all so good looking. You might remember this big little boy from his newborn session a while back. He's gotten so big (well, I guess I should say so much biggER since he was a big boy to begin with). His cousin and aunt were there too, so we did a mini session for them as well. What a cutie he was- lots of spirit and sparkly blue eyes.
Really, I'd like to hit pause and get off this ride for a little while. I'm hitting that wall--and hard. Thanksgiving should be a nice day off and then i head into my last super crazy weekend shooting schedule. Then just editing and editing and editing and...
So once again, please excuse the short narrative. Gotta keep up on the backend of cards and edits now so I'm not squashed (well, more like completely buried) next week.
The coo family are bsquared 'frequent fliers' and it was nice to see them again. I think the best part of the shoot was (for dad) that he didn't have to be in these pictures! The kids were great and as good and photogenic as ever. S, hope your returns to Michaels' went okay!
The baga family I met for the first time last year when I did their holiday pictures and they asked me back again this year for another holiday shoot. While the older daughter was much easier to photograph this year, now the littler one is more of the challenge. Just that age! They both did a great job and really stuck it out til the end. Even if some goldfish snuck into some of the pictures!
Some friends of the boys and of mine too. We have a little bartering deal going on...a photoshoot for a massage. I have a back full of knots (I guess sitting at the computer non stop and when I'm not here, I'm carrying around a heavy camera bag and another camera around my neck. Ya think that might contribute to that situation?) but I'm waiting til January for my 'payback' cause doing anything like that now would just be a total waste!
This is such a fun, together family with a bunch of great people in it. Hope I captured that. It was freezing and getting dark so we worked FAST. Hope you love them G. Get ready cause I'm gonna be a bigger mess by January!!
